Low-pressure gas-alarm and automatic shut-off.



` R. MURCHEK. Low PRESSURE GAS ALARM AND AUTOMATIC 'sHumrR Patented Jan.1, 1918.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I0. I9I7. 1,251,808.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

'Fnal R F1612.

\R www P., MURCHEK.

LOW PRESSURE GAS ALARM AND AUTOMATlCSHUT-OFF. l APPLICATION FlLED AUG.10. |917. I

K PatetedJnfl, 1918.`

2. saEETsfsHnET 2.

E f /f UNTTED sTATEs 'PATENT OFFICE.

PAL iviimorinii,y or SHARON, PENnsYLvANIA.

Low-rarissimi: `ens-Anania Ann AUTOMATIC 'SHUT-Orr.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed August'l, 1917. Serial No. 185,621. Y

To allywhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PAULMURCHEK, a subject of the King of Hungary,residing at Sharon, in the county of rMercer and'State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LowPressureGas-Alarms and 'Automatic Shut-Offs, ofV which the following is aspecification.

This inventionrelates to certain new and useful improvements in a low.pressure gas i alarm andautomatic shut off.

The primary objectl of .the invention is4 the provision of a safetyappliance adapted for installation in connection Iwith the gas serviceof a building, whereby a reduction or cessation y of gas pressure,automatically tion in the gasV pressure and thereby prelventing theyasphyxiation of the inmates due to escaping gas, whilean alarm issounded and a limited auxiliary supply of gas is slowly suppliedtoprevent entireextinguishing of thelight for ashort period of time.

Adstifll` further object of the invention is the provision'of a safetydevice that is compact in arrangement and Y durable in constructionadapted forready insertion in the gas piping of a building,wherebythecgas supply is automaticallycut oiand an alarm sounded at ranyconvenient point upon the reduction in the gas pressure below a cer-.tain predetermined degree.

In the drawings forming a part ofthisf application and in which likedesignating.l characters -refer tok corresponding parts' throughout ltheseveral views, l v Figure' 1 is a view-of a portion of a buildingshownpartially in elevation and partly in -yertical section lwith myinventioninstalled thereinin connection with the gas service n pipes ofthe building.

F ig. 2 is a similar viewtakenfromV a different tside ofthe building.

Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof the mecha:y

nism casing employed withthe device, 'with the vlid .thereof open an itslatched arrangement.

4 the same inposition as well d the mechanism in:

Fig. .4 is a longitudinal. sectional view thereof with the lid closed.andthe mechanism in its normal set arrangement.

Fig. 5 is a verticalfsectional view takenfg upon line V-V of Fig. 3 withthe valvefcontrolling lever indicated` by dotted` lines as positionedwhen the valve is closed.;

Fig. 6 is a similar sectional 'viewtaken' uponline VI-VI of Fig. 3. f 5

.Fig. '7 is=a similar viewutalen upon line -VII-'VIIof Fig. 3 withthe'members inv the position assumed after the Vdevice hasbeen trippedand with the. alarm "circuit: Iclosed and l F ig.8 is a detaily Viewof'.the-latchiiig` means for the circuit closer.`V

Referring morein detail to the` drawings, I the device is herein!illustratedfby wayfof' 75 pipes 10.within a building 11 varranged withexample in connectionwith the gassupply chandeliers. 12 for @burning the-gas' for Patented Jari; 1, 191e.V

illuminating purposes while'Y the usual gas' meter 13 isillustratedinthe lower story 14 of the ybuilding in communication with theservicesupply p'ipe11`5 fontheegas leadingV ynot shown, inthe usualtothe street main7 mannerp- Y A mechanismcasingll is arranged pref# erablyhaving ahinged lid or cover 17, the same` being arranged with the housepipe 10 entering the casing and. connected. by AVa -union 2O with avstub pipe 18serving as asupply pipe fromlthe. outlet of the meter 13 andextending longitudinally within the'- casing 16Vto and through atransverse partition 19 arranged therein. A gas bag,21

is connected to the inner endof the supply i pipe 18 withinthe'compartment 22 formed adjacent'one end of thel casing 16 by thepar-- tition 19. The bag 21 is adapted' to beinflatedby. the normalpressure of the gas-wen` tering from thek supply pipe 18 whiletheentrance and eXit ofthe gas -is controlled respecting the .bag 21 bya valve 23 arrangedin thepipe18 adjacent the said partition. A.V strap241 overlies the bag'21...for.holding vas limiting the degreeof-iniiationthereof.

Ashut '0H valve 25 is yprovided lin the sup-y i plypipe 18 before theunion 20 is reached, Y.

having a turn pluf', {f 26 arrangedwith an elongated valve stem 27vprovidedfvwith a crank 28l at` one end thereof, the said Icrank beingnormally positionedas Villustrated in Fig, 1f ofthe drawing when thevalve 25 isl openV permitting. `free passagelof tlieliga'sv from theYsupply pipe 18 to the house pipe 10 as well as the bag 21. A spring 29is coiled around the valve stem 27 having one end attached thereto whileitsrother end is anchored as at 30 to a plate 31 within the casing 16,the said spring tending :toclose the valve whenever the valve isreleased.

A shaft 32 is journaled through the plate 31 and a similar plate 33arranged adjacent thereto, the shaft 32 being in parallelism `with thevalve stem 27 and arranged vwith a gear 34 thereon in constant mesh witha pinion 35 provided upon the valve stem 27. An operating lever 36 issecured to the shaft 32 and a forward movement ofthe lever 36 is adaptedfor opening the valve 25 by means of the gear 34 and pinion 35 it beingunderstood that when the lever 36 is held in its forward position, thevalve Y25 will be held open butwhen the lever is released the spring 29automatically closes the valve 25 carrying the lever 36'to its rearwardposition as illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawing and at which time thecrank 28 -is swung upwardly with the electrical contact point 37 thereofcontacting aV terminal block 38 carried by a plate 39 adjacent the saidlever 28. A cord or strap 40 is attached at one end to a tab 41- on thetop of the bag 21 and passes over a pulley wheel v42 carried by theplates 31 and 33 and is adjustably connected to the free end of thelever 36 by means of a link 43 pivotedto .the lever and a take-up washer44 adjustably carried by the strap.

vWith the casing 16 suitably arranged in connectionwith the gas pipe ofa building and with the meter pipe 18 connected to the house supply pipe10 within the casing 16,

the crank 28 is manually moved rearwardly for opening the valve 25 andforwardly positioning the lever 36. A latch 45 is pivoted to the freeend of an arm 46 mounted upon the adjacent Yside 47 of the casing 16 andadapted to be manually positioned engaging the crank 28 adjacent thecontact 37 thereof when the valve is partially opened. The flow of gasfrom the pipe 18 into the bag 21 inflates the bag which moves the tab 41upwardly and rearwardly fromits dotted line position to its full lineposition as illustrated in F ig. 4, thereby exerting a pull upon thestrap 40 which is maintained constant while the bag 21 is inflated 4bythe normal supply of gas through the pipe 18. This operation of thestrap 40 moves the valve 25 to its .en tirely open position, moving thecrank 28 slightly further rearwardly, thereby releasing the latch 45 andpermitting the spring 48 thereof to swing the latch upwardly toitsposition illustrated in Fig. 7.

It will be understood that when the sup-A ply of gas in the pipe 18 isreduced'in pres-y sure or stops flowing for any reason, the gas withinthe ,bag 21 will slowly pass out of the i eration stops the ringingofthe alarms 49.

bag underthe control of the valve 23 to the house pipe 10, therebyfurnishing a small auxiliary supply of gas for the building. Thisdeflation of the bag 21 releases the strap 40 permitting the lever 36 tomove rearwardly under the influence of the spring V29 which springcloses the valve 25. It will be understood that the terminals 37 and 38are electrically connected with suitable alarms 49 and a battery 50arranged at anyV desirable positions within the building 11 suchconnections being made byfmeans of wires 51 and 52 connectedrespectively to the terminals 37 and 38. The terminals 37 and 38 are incontact with each other when the valve 25is closed inthe manner herein-vbefore described so .that the alarms 49 are sounded upon the closing ofthe gas supply controlling valve 25, the contact between the terminals37 and 38 being broken by rearwardly moving the crank 28 and positioningthe latch 45Vin contact therewith when the valve 25 is again manuallyreopened. It will be evident from this detail description ofthe deviceand its operation that all connections with the gas pipe 15 from thestreet will be automatically cut oft' from the house pipe 10 by closingthe valver25 when the pressure of the gas fromthe supply Vpipe 18 fallssufficiently to deflate the gas bag 21 for releasing the strap 40 andthat no gas can again enter the house pipe 10 nor the bag 21 untilV thevalve 25 is Amanually opened by rearwardly swinging the crank28 whichop- The flow'of gas through the pipe 18 after the valve 25has once beenclosed can therefore not enter the building and escape therein to causeinjury to the occupants thereof. -A serviceable protector for the livesof the occupants of the building is arranged and it will be understoodthat while the preferred embodiment of the invention is herein setforth, minor changes maybe made therein without departing from thespirit and scope ofthe invention as claimed.

Vlhat I claimas new isc;

1. A device of the class described comprising a casing,- a gas bagarranged therein, al gasinlet supply pipe' extending within the casingconnected lto the bag, a house distributing gas pipev connected to saidinlet pipe within the casing, a controlling valve arranged in the inletpipe, a controlling lever operatively connected to the said valve, aflexible connection between the said lever and bag adaptedv formaintaining the valve` in its open position when the bag isinflated, aturn crank for said valve,- anda retaining latch for said crank adaptedfor automatic 125 disengagement therefrom, upon the complete inflationof the bag.

2. A device of the class described comprising a f-casing,'a gas bagarranged therein, a gas inlet supply pipe extendingfwithin the'lSOcasing connected to the bag, a house distributing gas pipe connected tosaid inlet pipe Within the casing, a controlling valve arranged in theinlet pipe, a controlling lever operatively connected to tlie saidvalve, a flexible connection between the said lever and bag adapted formaintaining the valve in its open position When the bag is inilated, aturn crank for said valve, a retaining latch for said crank adapted forautomatic disengagement therefrom upon the complete inflation of thebag, an electric contact carried by said crank, a companion contactmounted Within the casing Within the path of movement of said crankcarried contact during the closing of the valve and a source ofelectrical supply, and a plurality of distantly positioned alarmsarranged in circuit with the said contacts.

3. A. device of the class described comprising a casing, a gas bagarranged therein, a gas inlet supply pipe extending Within the casingconnected to the bag, a house distributing gas pipe connected to saidinlet pipe Within the casing, a controlling valve arranged in the inletpipe, a controlling lever operatively connected to the said valve, aflexible connection between the said lever and bag adapted formaintaining the valve in its open position When the bag is inflated, avalve in the inlet pipe adjacent its connection with the bag adapted forcontrolling the flow of gas to and from the bag, manually operatedopening means for the first mentioned supply valve, and a temporaryautomatically releasable latch for the said opening means.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

PAUL MURCHEK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

